Bicycle-saddle



(No Model.) 2 Sheets'-Sheet 1.

H. A. CHRISTY. BICYCLE SADDLE.

No.60 5,051. Patented. May 31,v 1898.

UNirnn STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

V HENRY A. CHRISTY, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

BICYCLE-SADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lette'rs Patent No. 605,051, dated May 31,1898.

' Application filed April 1'7, 1897. Serial No. 632,644. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;- I

Be it known that I, HENRY A. CHRISTY, a

Q citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county ofJackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bicycle-Saddles; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

' bicycle-saddles, but more particularly to sad lar parts in thedifferent views, Figure 1 repre-.

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in die seats or tops providedwith cushions or pads, and is designed as an improvement upon thebicycle-saddle illustrated and described in a patent issued to me onJanuary 15 1895, No. 532,444, for bicycle-saddles.

' The primary object of the invention is to provide a bicycle-saddle ofthe same general character as that illustrated in my aforesaid patent,but which shall be so constructed as to possess great strength anddurability and at the same time be comparatively Very light and capableof being manufactured at a very small cost. r

. The invention will first be hereinafter more particularly describedwith reference tothe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this"specification, and then pointed out in the claims at the end ofthedescription.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters of reference areused to denote simisents an inverted plan or bottom view of'a saddleconstructed in accordance with my present invention. Fig. 2 is across-section taken on the line II II ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of thesaddle seat or top with a part of the sides thereof broken away. Fig. 4represents an inverted plan or bottom view of a modified form of thedevice designed for a womans-saddle, and Fig. 5 is a plan of the saddleshown in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, A denotesthe main body portion of the saddle seat ortop, and -B the shortened-up or truncated horn thereof, the

said seat portion A being formed with a centrally-disposed raisedportion or bar a and a recessed or sunken portion a at each side of saidseat portion to receive a cushion or pad.- The rear portion or side A ofthe saddle-seat is preferably slightly curved, as shown,while the sidesA thereof are convex or substantially semicylindrical in form and mergeat "the front into the truncated or shortened-up horn'B, which formswith said sides a continuation of the centrally-disposed bar a. The hornB is formed or provided on its upper surface with a depression or recess1),

forming a continuation of a recess a in the upper surface of the bar a,but preferably somewhat wider than the recess a as shown in Fig. 3. Themarginal portion or edge of the seat is crimped or formed with anintegral pendent skirt or flange a the lower edge a of which is turnedup against itself, so as to form a seam and provide a smooth edgewithout rough or sharp points to contact with the clothing or hands ofthe rider of the bicycle, said seam or upturned edge also servanentirety out of a single piece of sheet metal or steel, preferably thelatter, so as to render the seat as light as possible and at the sametime give strength and rigidity thereto, and this increased strength isobtained by the crimping of the metal of which the seat is formed intothe peculiar shape shown in the drawings, wherein it will be seen byreference to the several figures that a groove a is formed between theside walls of the depressions or recesses a and the pendent oroverhanging flange or skirt 0. the latter extending, preferably, in onecontinuous length entirely around the seat.

0 denotes cushions or pads which are fitted in the recesses ordepressions a a. and are preferably secured therein in such manner thatthey may be retained under any and all conditions of use, but may beremoved when desired. These cushions may be constructed to suit thewishes or desires of the manufacturer or user, and air or othercushioning means may be employed, and any suitable fastening devices maybe used for securing them in the recessed seat or saddle-top.

By the described construction I secure all the advantages of the saddledescribed in my aforesaid patent, with the additional advan tage ofincreased strength, rigidity, and lightness and at the same time verymaterially reduce the cost of production by stamping the same out ofsheet-steel, though sheet metal or aluminium might be employed.

The saddle seat or top thus constructed is also preferably provided witha reinforcingplate D under the horn B, shaped to conform to the contourof the under surface of said horn. E denotes a spring, preferably flat,which is secured at one end by means of a bolt (1 to the under side ofthe horn B, the said spring E extending rearwardly and down wardly fromsaid horn, and thence rearwardly in substantially a horizontal plane orwith a slight upward bend for a portion of its length and having itsfree end passed through a slot in a cross-bar or bridge-piece l The barF has its ends secured to coiled or other suitable springs G G,which areinterposed between the ends of the bar and the bottoms or under sides ofthe depressions (t a, the said springs G being bolted or otherwisesecured to said bar and seat, as shown, and forming a direct connectionbetween the same. This arrangement provides a T-shaped spring-supportfor the saddle seat or top, affording a yielding support therefor atthree points, said. spring-support being adapted to be secured to thesad dle-post in any proper manner, as by means of a suitable clamp onthe spring-barE, adapted to clamp the same to the saddle-post or othersuitable part of the frame in the usual manner of securing such devicesto the frame of a bicycle.

In Figs. 4: and 5 the construction of the saddle is substantially thesame as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, except that the horn13 is shortened up considerably or practically dispensed with; but thetwo constructions are otherwise identical and the springsupport forattachment to the saddle-post is the same in both cases.

In connection with the advantagehereinbefore alluded to respectingincreased strength attained by the present invention it is to beobserved that by providing a saddle-seat of the type speeiliednamel v,one having sunken portions or depressions at each side of the center,with a central longitudinal recess or depressiona double ridge isproduced in the central portion of the saddle-seat, and the latter isthereby greatly strengthened at this location, where it is subjected togreat strain. Moreover, the construction of the truncated horn is to beparticularlynoted, the said horn having a downturned marginal flangeorskirt which not only extends along each side but also around the endof the horn and a central longitudinal recess or depression extendingwell into the horn, but terminating short of the end thereof, so thatthe same will be provided with double side and end walls. This formationof the horn obviously results in greatly strengthening the same, whileat the same time enhancing its appearance.

Respecting the spring-support for the saddle, it is to be observed thatthe bridge-piece extends well under the depressed portions of thesaddle-seat which hold the pads, so that the spiral springs which areinserted between the bridge-piece and the saddle-seat mayhave theirpoints of bearing against those parts in vertical alinement, wherebycontraction and expansion of the springs can take place without twistingthe same laterally.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture, a metallic saddle seat or topconsisting of a main body portion formed with a sunken portion or recessin its upper surface at each side of its seat portion to receive acushion or pad, and having its marginal portion or outer edge turneddown so as to form an integral pendent marginal flange extending aroundand overhanging the edge of the seat, and having also acentrally-disposed recess or depression in its upper surface extendinglongitudinally thereof from a point between said sunken portions to nearits front pendent edge, substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a solid metallic saddle seat or topformed in a single piece having convex sides which merge into ashortened-up or truncated horn and a sunken portion or recess at eachside,and having a cen trally-disposed recess or depression formed in itsupper surface extending longitudinally thereof from a point between saidsunken portions to a point adjacent to the terminus of said horn,together with an integral pendent flange or skirt extending around andoverhanging the outer edge of the scat, substantially as described.

As a new article of manufacture, a solid metallic saddle seat or topformed in a single piece having convex sides which merge into ashortened or truncated horn, and a sunken portion or recess at eachside, andhaving a contrally-disposed recess or depression formed in itsupper surface extending longitudinally thereof from a point between saidsunken portions to a point adjacent to the terminus of said horn,together with an integral pendent flange orskirt extending around andoverhanging the outer edge of the seat and the sides and end of thehorn, substantially as described.

4. A metallic saddle seat or top formed of a single piece of metalhaving convex sides which merge into a shortened-up or truncated hornand having its upper surface formed with a sunken portion or recess ateach side of its seat portion to receive a cushion or pad and with acentrally-disposed recess or depression extending longitudinally thereoffrom a point between said sunken portions In testimony whereofI affix mysignature in to a point adjacent to the terminus of said presence of twoWitnesses. horn, together with an integral pendent -fiange or skirtextending around and over- 5 hanging the edge of the seat, said flangehav- Witnesses:

ing its pendent edge turned up against itself W. S. COBB, 0r seamed,substantially as described. THOMAS A. WRENN.

HENRY A. OHRISTY.

